Ordinary fax machines are handy tools to have in the office, but an increasing number of business concerns now choose to fax and receive documents using their computers instead. This reduces investment costs because the need to invest in fax machines is avoided. Expenses on fax paper is also kept low as all documents can be read on screen. Broadly speaking, there are two ways to make computers operate as fax machines as well.

(a) Using Faxing Software.

(b) Online Faxing Services.

Using Faxing Software

If your existing computer has a dial-up modem, then all that is needed to turn it into a fax machine is to install a fax software. Such programs can easily integrate seamlessly with many common applications such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Adobe Photoshop, and they are very easy to use.

If you leave the computer and modem on, it can also receive faxes. Faxes received are all stored in the computer hard disk and can be retrieved at any time. This can reduce paper wastage significantly because you can view the fax on the screen and delete those you don't want. In contrast, ordinary fax machine prints out everything it receives.

Virtually all fax softwares are now sold online, and buyers can download it immediately. Installation is very easy and seldom requires any technical know-how.

Many of them are sold as sharewares, meaning you can use it legally for a specified period of time without having to pay anything. If you want to continue using it after the specified period expires, then you need to purchase a license. Otherwise, you need to remove that program from your PC.

Online Faxing Services

Online faxing, which is sometimes referred to as "Internet faxing", uses the power of the Internet to send and receive faxes, often as email attachments. Such faxing services normally require a monthly membership fee, and members are allowed to receive and send a predetermined number of faxes per month. If your company has an international clientèle, then online faxing is an excellent choice because it is inexpensive when compared to the other methods of faxing.

More often than not, it is not necessary to install any proprietary software, as literally all of these services are web-based. This means faxes are sent or received by accessing the service provider's website. Some of the key advantages of Internet faxing are:

(a) faxes can be sent or received anywhere in the

world an internet service is available;

(b) fax tracking features; and

(c) bulk faxing (sending faxes to multiple recipients

via a single transmission).

However, like everything else, online faxing service quality differs between different providers. Hence, there is a need to pick the best service provider which can meet the needs of your company. Here are some important factors to take into consideration when screening a service provider:

* Quality of customer support service.

* Reliability of faxing service.

* User friendly interface.

* Pricing.

* Number of allowed faxes to be sent or received per

month.

Many of these online fax service providers do offer free trials. It is advisable to sign up for these trials to evaluate their customer service support quality and also the ease by which to send or receive faxes.